Songs that use backwards or reversed audio
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
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Backmasking is when audio is reversed. It is something that is really quite easy to do nowadays but for decades involved tape machine trickery and some clever thinking! It's been used over the years for everything from finding new and creative sounds to hiding secret messages in songs.
SOURCES
John Lennon interviews by Rolling Stone (1968): www.rollingsto...
Blecha, Peter (2004). Taboo Tunes: A History of Banned Bands and Censored Songs
Vokey, John R.; Read, J. Don (November 1985). "Subliminal messages: Between the devil and the media". American Psychologist.
ELO and “skcollob”: www.grunge.com...
Radiohead and “Like Spinning Plates”: citizeninsane....
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Mate I love your channel. Can you please make a video about Frank Zappa and Velvet Underground?
How is this done the back masking
Do you have a separate video that's the non-backmasked version of the final track?
"Oasis were seemingly inspired by the Beatles"
Bit of an understatement
No shit.
Oasis drew from many artists. Noel Gallagher continues to do so. If I remember correctly, he even admitted that everything he writes is a nod to something else.
And I think maybe Greta van Fleet have just little Led Zep influence. I could be wrong though.
Liam practically sings exactly like John
So much so that in the Yesterday film, Oasis didn't exist due to the Beatles not existing.
The reversed piano chord used in the opening of Yes' Roundabout is another great example!
I was thinking of this one!
Yes! One an amazing production!
First one I thought about. I get why he didn't mention it here (it's only that one note, after all), but it's still a definite part of why Roundabout sounds like it does. They did it that way because they liked how it sounds like the note is rushing at you.
The build up to "Breath" on Dark Side of The Moon is another reversed Piano chord - in fact the more you listen you realise reversed instruments are far more common...
That's so great, just a plain C chord. I'd only heard it referred to as a Reverse Swell, never heard of backmasking!
I read some where that George had the solo for "I'm Only Sleeping" planned out in the normal way. But when they decided to backmask it George had to relearn it in reverse order to record it, thus keeping the melody intact.
...well, yeah.
How else would you do it?
That's absurd. He recorded it playing it as he normally would and they simply reversed the tape.
@@mtp4430 ...that would make the solo backwards though.
Obvious solution is to write a solo, record it, reverse the tape, learn that version of the solo, record than, then reverse that recording.
@@nuberiffic You don't have to learn the solo backwards. You play it forward then you reverse the tape and record a track with the solo playing backwards. At the end of I'm so tired when John said Paul is a dead man, miss him miss him miss him. Do you think he said it backwards? Or on the song Rain on the fade out is John singing when the rain comes they run and hide their heads, just like he did in the first verse. However they played the tape backwards and put it on as an overdub. Have you ever been in a recording studio in your life? These are no brainers. You record them as you normally would, and you overdub them playing in reverse. Who the fuck in the world would learn how to speak backwards and play the guitar backwards? You can't be serious?
@@mtp4430 ...dude.
Read what you wrote again.
"You play it forward, then reverse the tape"
Yes, that means what he actually played in the studio would be the solo we hear, but backwards. That means he learned the solo backwards, as in the reverse of what it appears on the album.
If you did it just as you say, sure it might work, but you would essentially have to guess at if the solo would work or not. My way makes sure it does, and takes only a tiny bit more effort.
Just look at the Weird Al song "Amish Paradise". For the video, he did actually learn to sing part of the song backwards, so when they reversed the footage, he would be singing forwards while the rest of the scene was backwards.
Rob Scallion has a video where he learned all the parts of "Enter Sandman" backwards.
Yes, I have been in a recording studio.
I've personally recorded and released nearly 20 albums.
I've taught recording at schools.
I was literally in the studio yesterday.
I'm right.
This might not be how the Beatles did it (I never said it was) it's just an easy way it could be done.
80s’ Christian Rock band Petra put a backwards message at the beginning of their song “Judas’ Kiss” that played forwards says “Why are you looking for the Devil when you ought to be looking for the Lord?”
Another Christian band, Daniel Amos, released an album called Doppelganger in 1982 on which the first track, Hollow Man, was a re-edited version of the final track on their previous album, Alarma! (Ghost Of The Heart) played backwards, with forward vocals superimposed over it. On the sleeve it says "Hollow Man adapted from traeH ehT fO tsohG".
This reminds me of the Bloom County comic strip. Milo and Binkley are playing records backwards, looking for demonic messages, and are disappointed when what they hear is "Go to school.... Say your prayers..."
For me, Hendrix was the king of "backmasking". He was using it on the first Experience album and throughout his career. Some of his solos sounded amazing, and they were actually backwards. The solo on Are You Experienced in particular was superb.
You're absolutely correct. I always think of Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, and John Frusciante.
The beatles were the kings of backmasking. Are you kidding? They were the pioneers and their songs sound a lot better
@@videntedevidrio That pretty subjective, as far as the Beatles and Hendrix go. We're dealing with top-shelf liquor here both ways. Whiskey or brandy. Pick your poison. You'll be right either way. Hendrix and the Beatles admired the fuck out of each other!
@@ignatiusjackson235 could be, but they are not on the same level. The beatles revolutionized music and had some of the best albums in history. I don't mean to be rude, but I think Jimi is pretty overrated for playing fast the guitar and being an "American" guy.
Two examples come to mind:
-Blackened by Metallica
-Somewhere I Belong by Linkin Park
I came to the comments to make sure Blackened was mentioned.
When he started playing his song on piano I thought he was gonna start talking about Damage Inc. 😭
LP is gahy
The Blackened intro is gorgeous both backward and forward.
@@rileycirone3320 Thank you!
Ogre Battle by Queen has some the most ingenious backmasking I've ever heard. The intro is the outro reversed, but it fades so naturally into the rest of the song that it's hard to tell which parts are backmasked, just that there is something generally odd going on.
Very clever band, actually Underrated IMO
Love that early stuff - then they churned out some terrible shit in the 80s
Also Flick Of The Wrist, with Bri's lead licks and solo alternating between being played forwards and backwards.
Hope there are some in depth analysis of this and other Queen songs in this channel
Radiohead did the same thing on ‘Nude’
My first band had a whole song in reverse. We called it "My Name: a Foot" because that's what it sounded like I was singing when it was reversed. We learned the backwards version and performed it live.
Out of curiosity, what did the lyrics originally say?
that’s super awesome, props to you all
@@carloscifuentes5656 "tooF a :emaN yM"
Camper van beethoven did the same thing
Did y'all record it? Is it online?
Cheap Trick included "The Lord's Prayer" backward on their song "How Are You." The novelty song "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha Ha" from 1966 played the song entirely reversed on the B-side.
I wish you had mentioned that the ELO album after Eldorado, Face the Music, started with Fire on High, and it contained the backward masked, "The music is reversible, but time is not, turn back, turn back, turn back" seemly as a way to mock those who had accused him earlier.
How spooky it was to hear those words after flipping the tape head upside down to be able to listen that ELO cassette backwards! It was late seventies.
Also includes backmasked “face the mighty waterfall” later in the album
@@sepposyXIV I just put the album on a direct drive turntable, turned off the power to the turntable (which left power to the cartridge on) and spun the album backwards. It never occurred to me to mess with the innards of cassette decks.
Not sure if anyone else mentioned it already, but the incredible "The Stone Roses" (who predate blur and oasis and the reason for both of those bands' existence) have "Don't Stop" which is the previous song "Waterfall" reversed with the reversed melody line reworked with forward lyrics. The brain-breaking part is that they can play the fucking song live...
Here's them playing it: ruclips.net/video/xQXS1G1nk6s/видео.html
and here's the record version which just uses "Waterfall" reversed in it's entirety.
Good one! The stone roses are legendary
As I watched this video I couldn't stop wondering if the Roses would get a mention.
The use of back masking here isn't just clever, it is beautiful.
Came here to mention Don't Stop
yes, this was in my head the whole way through the video too!
@@donach9 Same!
There's a backward message on an ELO album (Fire on High from Face The Music) that goes "The music is reversible, the time is not! Turn back! Turn back!"
Yup. Discovered that as a college radio dj. Funniest backward vocal ever.
How could you forget the best example of backmasking: "Nature Trail to Hell"
SATAN EATS CHEESE WHIZ!
I love how the beatles are an example for everything.
There was an Australian band called The Missing Links who beat the Beatles to the punch with a completely backwards song on their debut (and only) LP. They had done a cover of Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut and as the tape was being rewound they found they liked the way it sounded. It was even released as a single split over two sides of the disc.
“Flawless” by Studio Killers is a song I really like that has reversed vocals. The singer says “How can you be so flawless?” twice while the reversed vocals have a different message: “How could you be so heartless? How could you be so thoughtless?” I found a reversed version of the full song, and both versions slap.
Edit: forgot to add the artist’s name
Another example of
Lyrics back masking: Work it by Missy Elliot says “put my thing down flip it and reverse it” then does just that to her vocals for that line
Instrumental backmasking: The iconic bass riff towards the end of “You can Call me Al” by Paul Simon is played normally then it’s reversed
One of my favorite songs of all time, The Mind Electric by Miracle musical cuts the entire song in half, with the first half being entirely reversed, lyrics and all, while the latter unwinds it all like mirror. It’s truly a treat to listen to every time.
agree, mind electric is such a good song and the fact that the reverse part fits into the story of the album makes it even better. the writer joe hawley also released his solo album completely backwards and in a couple tally hall songs like ruler of everything they also used it.
I think you're getting a lot better at thumbnails! Love the collage with the monochrome heads facing opposite directions, neat how that works out.
Yes, and the font is especially attractive, i immediately clicked knowing what it would be
I'm kinda surprised Missy Elliott's track Work It isn't on here considering she literally put her thing down flipped it and reversed it
Ogre Battle by Queen is a good example of backmasking used in a creative way, I think - there's obvious backmasking used in the intro, but it's used in a way that blends into the song in a way that feels natural, and I find it hard to tell where the backmasking ends. And another track that uses backmasking in a very different way is Prince's Darling Nikki, with a backmasked coda that doesn't really have anything to do with the rest of the song. Sounds cool, though.
Another great ELO example would have been Fire On High, the creepy intro has a reversed voice that says "The music is reversible, but time is not! Turn Back!" This was done in direct response to the hysteria over Eldorado. Lynne would continue to hide little Secret Messages on various tracks, with the song/album secret messages being a little wink and nod in acknowledgement
Sorry. I made the same observation before reading your comment. You were first! :)
On the album Time, there is a snippet of melody which links some of the tracks (such as Twilight into Yours Truly 2095) which is the tune of 21st Century Man played backwards.
Also the song Bluebird is dead has a sick Backwards guitar solo
Also also in the ELO album secret messages there are many cool diddies on The title track, the intro of buildings have eyes, danger ahead and Time after time.
From my understanding, all of the "messages" that are heard from reversed lyrics are actually our brains trying to make sense out of something it cannot. It's natural for us to seek out familiarity and patters in things. However, I have found something called the phantom word illusion. They noticed that depending on how a person was feeling at the time, that it would influence what they heard. Also their religious background as well. The instruments can also change how it sounds to us, creating false consonants, thus the illusion of words.
For myself, all I heard on the "stairway to Heaven" (on the first listen) was "Nori. Oh yes she is my coy sleigh tin. No one was in a bad mood. Take my sand pools an hour in sight. Give. Give the lore, hero. Safe. Safe. Safe." However, it could say something completely different on a different day. Or if I were to keep listening to it, the "lyrics" would change.
The "Number 9" in reverse to me sounds more like "From me in yander land". Listening to it again when I am tired or have just woken up, I might hear something more like "Here, yawn in bed".
Eldorado sounds to me more like "Here's to pass the wand, like you're turn on. We're way outside. We're in dirt, man!"
Yes, that is what is at play in most instances. But not all, backmasking is a real technique. You can tell the difference. When backmasking is used, the messages are clear. Whereas, when your brain is reconstructing meaning, the sounds are muddy and clipped.
A great video, David, as always. But one small point: the Paul is Dead myth began with Sgt. Pepper's reversed portrait of him on the inside of the sleeve and a supposedly hidden message on the play out groove.
Oh, and of course, Paul's bass-guitar 'grave' on the front cover.
the paul is dead started long before the pepper album.
The rumor began in 1969; then fans looked back into the previous years to find more "proof."
That's right, the Ontario Provincial Police badge on Paul's shoulder depicted with the letters "OPP" was twisted in such a way to appear as "OPD" which in England means "Officially Pronounced Dead."
@@hifijohn Yeah, I've just read that it began in '66 with deliberate secret messages by the boys on Rain/PBW and Revolver, although I wasn't aware of this at the time.
You didn’t mention it so I expect you never heard it, but on The Stone Roses’ self titled debut album that had a song called “Don’t Stop” that was another song from the same album played backwards with certain overdubs and new vocals.
The vocals however work both ways, so one song played backwards has almost the same lyrics as the other played normally.
The other song is called Waterfall and it plays right before it on the album.
I'm surprised you talked about backmasking in Britpop and didn't mention The Stone Roses' "Don't Stop".
The Stone Roses are considered more Madchester than Britpop if I'm not mistaken.
@@reillywalker195 eh. You're technically right, but they're also usually considered the first Britpop band, before Britpop was a thing. So it's not really wrong to call them Britpop :)
David! I know you had to use a Radiohead example, but when you got to that one and started by talking about a whole song being reversed, I REALLY hoped you were gonna mention the Stone Roses. C'mon, you're British!! They definitely did it wayyyyyy before Radiohead lol. There's actually multiple examples, from Full Fathom Five and Simone (full reversed tracks) to Don't Stop from their debut record, which has mostly forward vocals, but the music is Waterfall reversed. And for extra fun, Don't Stop follows Waterfall in the track listing!
I can't believe you didn't include the guitar solo from Yes's classic song Roundabout. It also has backwards piano in it also. Great video
...... but the guitar solo isn't reversed, it is only the opening piano chord and a couple of other piano notes during the guitar solo.
Well, Yes sucks.
@@boomshankah1123 yes it is. 6:49 in the track
@@TheBoy-cu8hd I think you are referring to the "violin effect" ; that is simply rolling back the volume when you pluck the string, either with the volume knob on the guitar or a volume pedal, then immediately turning it back up to fade in the rest of the note without the initial attack. Jeff Beck for one uses this technique frequently.
The Stone Roses got to the full reversal first with Waterfall/Don't Stop.
I just commented this too! Worth noting it has mostly forward vocals, so not 100% backwards. But they did do at least 2 fully backward tracks: Simone and Full Fathom Five.
You beat me to this too.
@@slidenaway Not exactly correct: they played Waterfall completely backwards and added forward vocals that sounded like the backwards vocals from Waterfall, complete with the strange swoops and vocal bends you get from backwards singing.
@@ranica47 ah fair play, thanks. I admit some of the vocals sound so backwards I just assumed they actually WERE backwards, but I'll buy what you're selling!
Joe Hawley is pretty well known for doing backmasking. Most famousley 'The Mind Electric' starts with a backwards version of the rest of the song before reversing and playing normally. Also 'Aristotle's Denial' and 'Weird Bed &/or Yes Please' have seperate reversed versions ('ΔΙAΨΕYΣH TOU APIΣTOTEΛH' and 'Yes Please &/or Weird Bed')
This dude's voice is such a therapy 💕
The reversed piano piece intro reminded me of the intro for Pale Shelter by Tears for Fears.
They Might Be Giants did this a lot. And I think Barenaked Ladies did some too.
If you play a country record backwards. He gets his truck back, his dog back and wins the lottery
great video :) surprised you didn't mention don't stop by stone roses.. also i'm sure you've heard it .. but ELO's album Secret Messages is a masterclass in backmasking.
*“Waterfall” and “Don’t Stop” by The Stone Roses!!! the ultimate backmasked tracks.* “Don’t Stop” is the music from “Waterfall” played in reverse with a “forwards” lyric which is the lyric of “Waterfall” sung in reverse. *AND both songs are also incredible.* Genius. Another stunning triumph by one of the great British bands.
I don’t know what one could do to take backmasking further than that...
Yes!!
Here for this
!..taht rof gnikool saW
*It's not Estonian, it's backwards*
"D'You Know What I Mean?" also features backmasked vocals from both brothers in its original 1997 release. I'm surprised you never mentioned that.
Oasis shouldn't be mentioned in a video that talks of Beatles
@@simpego81 Because Oasis sound more like Slade than The Beatles and the comparison is lazy, I agree.
Again, absolutely loving the outro pieces. This one has vibes reminiscent of what Metallica did on the Master record. As well as Pyramid Song.
I think you're referring to the song Damage Inc. That intro was actually recorded on bass guitar.
"Eine Kleine" by Kenshi Yonezu features an acoustic guitar that gets backmasked in some chords on every verse, it's a very sweet listen
To this day I think the best use of backmasking has to be Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN album. Not only does it tie into the themes of the album, but it’s also two albums in one when you play the tracklist in reverse.
Totally agree
How do you play the tracklist in reverse?
@@musamusashi Look up DAMN Collector’s Edition. It’s on Spotify. And then while you’re at it, go listen to Dissect Podcast Season 5. Cole will explain everything you need to know.
@@str1ve305 thanks.
I'm surprised you didn't include Blackened and its its backwards guitar intro by Metallica. By far my favorite...except for maybe your new Onaip Sdrawkcab....that is amazing.
The 'unfamiliarity of George Harrison's guitar solo on "I'm Only Sleeping" may be the result of him writing the solo forwards, working out the composed solo backwards, reversing the tape, and then playing the (pre-planned) solo. The result is surprisingly musical.
Is it not possible that some of these more recent examples of “backmasked” guitar solos are in fact being played through a reverse delay effect, rather than being recorded and played normally then essentially sampled backwards?
Reverse delay can sound cool - I’ve got a pedal that does it - but I’ve never been able to get it to sound like genuinely reversed guitar. It can only reverse discrete chunks of sound, so it’s not fluid.
The more "recent" examples in this video were from the 90s (RHCP, Blur, Oasis) though, so I assume they did it the old school way.
Wasn't the piano intro to Roundabout by Yes also backmasked? Also, that bit in "Empty Spaces" is such a Roger Waters thing to do, lol.
EDIT: Apparently I'm not the only person to point this out, oops. But I really love backmasking in general.
There's also The Mind Electric by Miracle Musical, whose first half is a different take of the back half played in reverse.
woW boB woW, you're one day late for Twin Peaks day!
One that immediately comes to mind is What's The Frequency, Kenneth
Molochwalker and some track in octavarium by the mars volta. Reversed synth (i guess) in molochwalker and reversed drums in octavarium
An incredibly prominent example is in Missy Elliot's "Work it," wherein she sings "I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it," then... well... reverses it.
Finally proof that Radiohead songs are just as dreadful backwards as forwards, lol. Great vid, David.
For complete reversed tracks, the textbook example would be the Stone Roses' Waterfalls/Don't Stop from their debut album. The first track is the straightforward song then it goes into the second one which is the same one, but reversed and with additional vocals and percussion. Trippy!
Kate Bush (who is a huge Beatles fan) did some very effective backmasking on a couple of tracks. The part on “Leave It Open” is pretty terrifying. The one on “Watching You Without Me” is gorgeous.
Doesnt matter the subject: there's always an example from The Beatles
For 1999, Prince recited along with a backward tape, then reversed that tape, so we hear real words sounding backwards.
“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you. I only want you to have some fun.”
T. Rex’s “Deboraarobed” for an early example. Also ELO’s “Fire On High” and Styx’s “Heavy Metal Poisoning” for deliberate spoken-word backmasking.
Nice pick on including Leisure by Blur. It’s such an underrated album especially here in the US but it’s something I put on quite often.
stone roses = waterfall + dont stop are the same songs reversed. And they can play don't stop live which is mad impressive
The Jam and The Smiths used backmasking a fair bit too. The Jam’s “In The Crowd” and “The Dreams of Children” spring to mind.
My favorite song that uses backmastering is the song "New Terrain" by Mew. A fantastic alt rock song in it's own right, but when you play it backwards you get an entirely new song, "Nervous". Both have different sets of lyrics and tunes, it's incredible how they created two songs in one.
I was going to mention that, but, darn it, you beat me to it.
"Pornography", the title track from the Cure's album "Pornography" opens with a bunch of backmasking. in the 80s my brother and i broke open the cassette and flipped it to play backwards....its a recording from a BBC news presenter
you should listen to the mind electric by miracle musical and ruler over everything by tally hall - both are great examples basically done by the same people
Other Honorable Mentions:
Metallica - Blackened
Yes - Roundabout
Linkin Park - Somewhere I belong
Queen - Another one bites the dust
Three comments on this: 1. Your "backmasking" piece is simply reversing the usual envelope of a keyboard sound - starting softly and crescendoing, but... 2. speaking of such, I've always loved the whooshing, sucking-in sound you get when you reverse drum hits. 3. Another great example of bands responding to groups that criticized the use of backmasking/backward sounds was Electric Light Orchestra in "FIre on High". The obviously backwards voice during the intro freaked out a lot of people back then. Play it in reverse, it says "The music is reversible, but time is not. Turn back. Turn back. Turn back." In other words...you're wasting your time looking for something satanic. They followed that up with "Secret Messages" album, where the reversed voice simply says "Secret Messages."
Congratulations on 600 thousand!
That 10 second solo at the start of Heart's 'Magic Man'
Great example is the mind electric by miracle musical. The whole song is first played reversed and then forwards. Joe Hawley (the writer) has been using reversed audio since the break it down days.
I literally just hit Ctrl+F just to find "Mind Electric" in the comments and there it is! One of my favorite songs as well.
Love that album
How about Queen's It's Fun To Smoke Marijuana?
New question related to BackMasking. BackMasking is where recorded work is reversed and then laid down. Let's considered something similar. Are their songs that have been transcribed in reverse deliberately? I am thinking that Bach did this as he loved musical conundrums; and to push this over the edge I think Bach went further and inverted a passage flipped the notes top to bottom of the music staff. I have to wonder if others did this too.
I did something similar in one of my assessed compositions for my Masters degree. I composed a tune, then mirrored it around middle C and put the two tunes together. It worked really well.
Another great example of backwards guitars is Pre-Road Downs by CSN. Stills' work is genius!
Boards of Canada, Geogaddi - full of this style stuff and it's awesome. Love your ending piano piece!
Your videos are very interesting and well spoken! They cover the topics in an informative and engaging way. I really appreciate the tie-ins at the end, where you create something musically that pertains to the subject of the video. Another cool topic David! 😀🤙🎶
My absolute favorite backmasking is at the end of the B-52's song "Detour Through Your Mind"
ruclips.net/video/o3h03VTPj70/видео.html
Klaatu's 'Silly Boys' song is entirely composed of backmasked parts from one of their other songs.
I really love how in EDEN's "Falling In Reverse," the piano part in the beginning and end is backmasked. Really interesting stuff!
Roundabout by Yes and Fire on High by ELO are the two that immediately come to mind for me. One instrumental and the other vocal.
For any Hammock fans. Mono No Aware is a reversed song. You can find the “unreversed” version on RUclips
He used ELO in a video! That's my favourite band, theire so underrated!
the song Backmask by Mindless Self-Indulgence makes fun of this idea by having “evil” lyrics as the main lyrics, and backmasked vocals that when reversed, say things like “clean your room” and “listen to your parents”
The small Bass solo in Paul Simon's "You can call me Al" is reversed audio and it makes it slap even more.
I don't even know it's good or bad that Paul and George convinced John not to release completely reversed Rain
Simon Whistler did a video on satanic messages in songs using back masking the other day and now you show me this. I never new what the technique was called. Very interesting. Thanks for going deep into it.
Butthole Surfers - Pepper
Beastie Boys - Paul Revere
The Who - Sparks/Amazing Journey
Metallica - opening horn of The Unforgiven
Your track at the end is really great and reminds me vaguely of a favourite track of mine: Stars of the Lid - Requiem for Dying Mothers (mostly pt2). Maybe you know them? Anyway, I thank you for your really great work! Inspiring and educational to say the least.
It's not really in this channel's normal wheelhouse, but Ludwig Göransson's Golden Globe-nominated score for _Tenet_ includes some great uses of backmasking to match the film's time-reversing plot.
John Adams used a backmasking effect in his symphony 'Naive and Sentimental Music'; the second movement called 'Mother to the Man' has a section where the string players play each note soft to loud, simulating the reversed decay of a backmasked recording.
No, back-masking is when you play something backwards that's to be hidden behind the music, et., al, intended for use in subliminal messaging.
As for The Beatles being the first to use backwards tapes on a record, "Flying Saucer", by Buchanan & Goodman from July `56 used a backwards recording. I'm pretty sure there were others, possibly even before `56, that used backwards tapes. As Les Paul invented multi-track tape recorders, and did some tape manipulation on some of his records, most likely, he experimented with backwards stuff, too. I can't say for sure as I've only ever heard a handful of his records.
And, from 1964, this, as far as I know, was the first song to be played entirely backwards. ruclips.net/video/4gbvcEkuFFI/видео.html John have even said it was that recording that gave him the idea to use backwards tapes.
Robert Fripp used a clip from the Monty Python skit, "Sheep" (from their first album) played backwards on a song from his "Exposure" album.
The opening chord from "Roundabout", by Yes, is backwards.
in the late `70's, Klaatu took one of their own songs, "Anus From Uranus", cut it up into small clips, reversed them, rearranged the running order and created a new song, with lyrics, called, "Silly Boys", which closes with the backwards version of the tale end of another of their songs, "Little Neutrino".
Of course, there are hundreds/thousands more and I'm not gonna sit here and list them all.
Did anyone else try reading SOLOCONTUTTI backwards 🤣🤣🤣
Sadly no mention of "The Mind Electric" by Miracle Musical or "They're Coming To Take Me Away" by Napoleon XIV
At the end of the Beatles recording of Free As A Bird, you can hear John saying something backwards. It sounds like he's saying "made by John Lennon" but if flipped, he's saying George Formby's catchphrase "turned out nice again".
Wow...I love your backwards piano. Really deep.
Marilyn Manson also used a lot of backmasking in their songs, specially in his first albums. There is this creepy pasta over the internet that says that when you hear 'The Beautiful People' backwards the chorus goes as "I'm evil believe it". Though it might be a pareidolia like most of the ones you showed here, a strong reason for believing that this was intentional is that the riff of that song is a palindrome (it sounds the same when played backwards). It sticks to their sense of humour, I guess...
The intros to "Blackened" and "Damage Inc" by Metallica uses backmasking perfectly
For those who are wondering, "Number nine" is from a tape at EMI which began, "This is EMI test tape number nine."
You missed out “God is in the Radio” by Queens of the Stone Age. The whole song is sort of a commentary/parody of the ‘satanic message’ outrage and includes a backmasked section.
Super video, David. Christians and American conservatives - me' evol attog uoy 😀
When did people start using "backmasking" to mean anything recorded in reverse? Originally it referred specifically to hiding (i.e. masking) messages by recording them in reverse. Most of these examples are just recordings made in reverse for an effect.
There's another famous example: Boards of Canada's track Happy Cycling features backmasking at the very end: it's a reversed interview by Electric Light Orchestra where they talk about their own backmasking :)
Where's Darling Nikki
Now time to watch this video in reverse 🔄